Have workplace employee networks gone too far

[Holidayheat]

I work in a large retail bank. We have a long list of employee networks we can join. Disability network, LGBTQ+ network, neurodiversity network, women’s network, staff wellbeing network etc etc. I really fail to see the point in them. I’m a nice liberal minded person. My colleagues are all nice liberal minded people. We aren’t bigoted in any way etc etc. I have a colleague who is heavily involved in the running of a network. It’s not in her job description but must take up about 50% of her time, which for an IT professional is a chunk of money for my employer. I just don’t see the point. Deciding how to best decorate the office for pride. Getting the budget right for Eid celebration event. Promoting a ‘how to do presentations for women’ event.

If we were a particularly backward thinking workplace I could see the benefit, but it’s 2025 and this is a modern workplace. no one gives two hoots as to whether someone is gay, or Jewish, or has a stutter or is in a wheelchair, they are just interested in whether someone can do their job. There is no prejudice these days in most workplaces like ours and to claim there is or worry that there is seems a little patronising. It seems a massive investment for what? Nothing.

The equality act may provide protection but many things are very hard to prove and many things can be really small but start to make you feel really bad or have a negative impact when taken en masse

I have a colleague who says they're LGB but doesn't associate themselves with the LGBTQI group, and doesn't like the group's politics. Another colleague is South Asian but felt that she wasn't welcome in the BAME group. We have a women's network, but heaven knows why given that we are a majority female workforce and a majority of our managers are women. Perhaps we should have a white, working class male network, but I suspect that wouldn't be allowed 😂

So I don't think there's anything intrinsically 'wrong' with wanting some kind of group or network, but we should really dispel the myth that they are all egalitarian and welcoming spaces - they're often not, they're often very tribal, they can often misrepresent the very people they are claiming to represent and can even serve to make some politically less visible groups even more invisible in the workplace. I do wonder if there is a less divisive way to foster tolerance.

My work has them. I attended the disability network hoping to network with other disabled people, but it was more akin to an Access To Work meeting. What equipment we needed, where in fact I already had the ATW assessment and equipment ordered. The network was also too formal for my liking in that I never got to know any of the others due to no small talk. I left after the 2nd or 3rd meeting. It was during work time too so I was more useful to my department just doing my normal duties.

Agression against minorities is still a day to day issue. Gender, race, disability- it all happens. These groups are important for a business - they are important to attract and keep talent . Just because your experience is great, others might not be.
Until a couple of weeks ago i would have sworn there is no racial discrimination in my company (i am white). Then i went to a meeting with my boss (indian heritage, male) - and i learned that racism is very much an issue.
Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!

I work in the public sector and I don’t find the groups annoying… but I feel annoyed that they mean little in practice. Management aren’t diverse and in practice it doesn’t get put in place a lot of the time. For example I could join our carers network, but as I’m on a long-term casual contract what’s the point? If I have needs that mean I can’t work then I don’t get paid, simple. I don’t see in HR processes diverse panels or actions that really put into practice what is talked about either. It feels often like a load of over-sharing for no real actual purpose other than feeling vulnerable

Same, sadly, at Universities for their students - all kinds of "minority" societies and group chats/networks, but ever reducing numbers of actual clubs/societies for real hobbies, sports, etc. My son was very unimpressed at his first Freshers' week clubs & societies fair to see all the stands for "clubs" for dozens of different nationalities, all kinds of sexual orientation, loads of different religions, every kind of political leaning, etc., He really struggled to actually find many stands for hobbies like gaming, warcraft, astronomy, rambling, sports etc.

Completely agree with you. I think alot of people use it as an excuse to avoid doing their actual job.

That ‘The Women Who Won’t Weesht’ getting deselected for a display by a national libraries of Scotland LGBTQ staff group story was utterly ludicrous. The staff group said that having a display including this book (which outlines the fight for women’s legal sex based rights in misogynistic Scotland) makes staff members too emotionally vulnerable. Do these same staff members avoid bookshops for fear of being ‘triggered’? No. How farcical.

How has this come about? Did the staff network echo chamber just whip itself into such a frenzy that it concluded this was unacceptable? Because if you cannot cope with seeing a book outlining women’s legal rights you need serious help. This is a prime example of a staff network gone bad. It has hugely damaged the reputation of the National Library of Scotland and many are rightly calling for the resignation of its lead..

Employee networks aren’t just about celebrating events. They are an opportunity for different demographics to ‘have a seat at the table’ in their company, be represented and contribute to decisions the business makes.

Companies I’ve previously worked for had Executive sponsors of each network, who would meet with the network committee regularly, listen to any concerns or views and relay them back to those at the top.

Those who volunteer to lead a network can gain valuable skill sets but also make a difference. It may take up a large amount of their time but they can develop and grow from it too.

I think you’ve missed the wider picture here.

It’s been studied and proven that employees who find a place to belong and build a community are more engaged and happy in their workplace. Not everyone will want to participate, and that is fine, but for those who do it can be very beneficial.

It’s one of those things that you are not forced to participate in, but others are free to do so and it doesn’t impact you if they do. The whole viewpoint of you knowing you’re in a diverse workplace and that we are in the 21st century, ‘no prejudice’ I’m going to hazard a guess comes from a pretty privileged place. Also, celebrating different cultures and communities isn’t just about struggles and saying that they are disadvantaged, it’s about sharing your story, experiences and giving people a place they can be comfortable and belong. It’s not about the negative connotations or history alone.

Sounds like the colleague you are pissed off with is doing extra work that someone needs to do and you’re annoyed you don’t get the equivalent time to do things you don’t see as important and I sense jealousy there. Just because you don’t see their work as important, doesn’t mean it isn’t for everyone.

No we have not.

Activist networks are purity spirals who exclude those with moderate voices.

LGBTQI+++++ networks exclude lesbians and gays
BAME networks exclude the wrong sort of minority
Disability networks are now all about mental health not access ramps
Women's networks exclude females

Look up "self exclusion"
Ignore those who shout loudest
look for those who are genuinely excluded

Which is the job of the SLT and HR
NOT random activists with no knowledge (see also Isla Bumba)

Take your WORK self to WORK
Leave your personal opinions at home

"It’s one of those things that you are not forced to participate in, but others are free to do so and it doesn’t impact you if they do. "

It does if the workplace group demonises you

see Jewish Comics being "no platformed" by staff networks at Edinburgh Fringe venues

You can't leave your disabilities at home when you go to work.

@Talkinpeace i suggested you keep your personal opinions at home. you don’t need to participate in employee networks if you don’t want to, but there is definitely a need.
Are they perfect? no. but that just means we need to improve them, not that they are worthless.
Discrimination st work happens every day - networks help to deal with it and improve the situation

@XenoBitch
Adjustments to work around disabilities are a legal HR requirement since 1994
A 'staff network' is irrelevant.

I'm a logical person so I'm going to assume that you don't know every employee of the large bank you work for. Its a bit odd that you don't seem to understand that the very small number of people you know aren't representative of the entire company and that your experiences aren't reflective of everyone's experiences.

It is very well documented that minority groups face additional obstacles in the workplace. If you don't feel any benefit in the networks then don't join them. And however much a "chunk of money" working on projects costs your employer it frankly isn't your concern.

People like you are precisely why these networks are needed.

No, they do not.

They end up costing employers millions of pounds in legal fees by misrepresenting the law.

Have you noted the pushback against perfectly legal SEEN networks
that will cost the taxpayer £££££ because management obeyed a lobby group
not the law.

Clean slate time.

I think theres no bigger microaggression or out and out aggression than telling someone they are making a (usually invisible and unknowable) microaggression toward you

Or in fact spending half your time putting the middle finger up to your colleagues by not doing your job because you're so busy organising a million pointless events.

Take that colleagues and fuck you!

@Talkinpeace the legal requirements are minor and barely enough to cover the basics. finding people who understand and can help beyond the absolute basics help a lot. Feeling welcome at work is more than just having the absolute basics covered!

@itsabeautifuldayjuly
Eh ?
The requirements of the Equality Act towards disabled employees are not minor and cover much much more than the basics.
If your HR team are telling you otherwise, talk to one of the equality law experts on here or Linkedin or Xtwitter

At my work, there is a network for people who are childless, but not by choice. I completely understand how some people may draw comfort from sharing their experiences with others, and have no issue at all with the network, but they tend to send fairly frequent emails to all staff about it, and I find it rather insensitive, as some people may not want to be reminded about their childless status when at work. It may be something they are trying to come to terms with. I think it should be an opt in comes, as opposed to an all-staff email, to minimise causing upset.

Embedding policies is not controlled by employee groups. That is the responsibility of executive managers and in a bank is overseen and enforced by regulators

These employee groups are a corporate marketing ploy and a way to make employees think they are getting something so that they complete the annual employee satisfaction survey correctly.

@Talkinpeace my hr team are amazing, so are my network groups. HR make it possible for me to work (basics). my network team helps everyone to be fully integrated and seen. Equally important.

If it’s not meant for you then… it’s not meant for you.

But imaging the positivity and representation if it is?!

My family with neuro divergences, mental health problems, physical disabilities and social constraints live this level of support at work.

Why do you hate it so much?

Yes, but just having legal support when it all goes to shit is not the only way to make people feel supported.

Like I said in my comment upthread, my DP is autistic and is finding the ND employee network at his workplace very useful. They are not putting flags everywhere etc... they get in guest speakers and talk about stuff that is relevant. Their last talk was about how to handle burnout, and how to recognise the signs before it gets too bad.

As a result, he feels listened to and understood and feels able to stick at his job. The employment stats for autistic people are dire.